When I first came to the Center for Preventive Medicine, I had basically given
up on ever again having anything like normal life. I had been made incredibly ill by a toxic mold exposure that left me with chronic fatigue, Fibromyalgia, lung problems and sinus problems. In addition, I
had system wide inflammation and was at least 70 lbs. overweight.Before the exposure, I had yearly medical exams. After the exposure, I lost could of all the specialists and other doctors that
I had to see. Before the exposure, I was able to 3-5 miles per day and after the exposure, just slowly walking a few blocks left me exhausted, panting and feverish. I was constantly confused, had memory
problems, had unexplained high fevers, and had headaches day and night as well as digestive problems. Because I had been over prescribed steroid inhalers and had to repeatedly go to the Emergency Room
because of my inability to breathe and being given prednisone each time, my adrenal glands came close to failing. Upon moving into a house where it was mold free and safe to live, I broke a bone in the left
foot just while walking because the steroids had so thinned my bones. This all prompted isolation because of an inability to drive for 6 weeks. All of my friends were in Boston and I had moved to Pawtucket.
I was a complete mess.
I was no stranger to emotional issues as well. I had lost 6 relatives and 6 close friends to cancer in a 3 year period which overlapped with my mold exposure, leaving me
traumatized and fearful. Last year, my only brother died suddenly, pushing me further out of the loop of normalcy. After the dot com bust, I lost my well paying computer job – and because of my illness, I
did down in rank within the music business (I am a professional classic violinist) because I was too ill to fight. Gradually, I lost work altogether.
I lost faith that I could ever function in
the work world normally. I took courses just to test myself and pushed constantly to make improvements and to try to rejoin the work world which had always defined me. Still, I was extremely depressed and
anxious.
At the start of treatment, I felt a profound sense of calm envelope me – something I had not experienced in years. I was able to sleep and feel more and more refreshed. It was gradual,
but eventually most of the energy returned. My weight is still too high, but since I had been sick for so long, I can't imagine that total healing can be instantaneous. I am still in treatment and just
taking a step at a time.
The herbs have been very helpful. I came into this experience having had preventive treatments with a Chinese herbalist in Boston's Chinatown, but I never imagined how
powerful a tool acupuncture and the herbs could be in recovering from such devastation as I had experienced.
I only came to acupuncture because the next drugs I was to be experimentally treated
with by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker of Pokemoke, MD had been put on a black box warning list, thus ending my treatment for toxic mold exposure with him. I was at a total loss as what to do. I expected nothing and
got so much.
Now I am able to exercise moderately and I have a high stress job in Massachusetts where I leave the house at 6am and return at 6pm. Thank you Dr. Tad and Kasia and everyone on the
staff!!
— Jessica S., Pawtucket, RI
